by Tigris Eden
Redeemed
In
Shadows
Copyright 2014 Tigris Eden
Cover: Trisha (Pickyme) Schmidt
Editor: Danielle Romero
All Rights Reserved
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the work of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1625174789
Acknowledgements
To The Shadow Unit Street Team, I couldn’t have asked for a more fantastic group of gals! Thank you for all your lovely words and ego boosts!
To you, the READER… THANK YOU for reading my words and enjoying my stories. It means the world to me that you welcome me to your reading device on a regular basis.
As always a big thank you to God. Without him, nothing is possible.
Dedication
I would like to dedicate Redeemed In Shadows to Vicki Sloboda! Thank you for always being supportive of my work! It means a lot!
Glossary of terms
Aja: The den mother of The Lotus.
All Seeing Eye: A Goddess with serpent like features that guards the Sixth Hour
Amrita: Immortal Goddess of Nectar
Asa: A city also known as The Sixth Hour from the Book of Gates in another realm.
Blood Phase: When a human transitions over to a Vampiri. This happens when they reach maturity.
Book Of Gates: Is not an actual book, but 12 Gates that house different realms guarded by different creatures. In immortal mythology, it claims to house the 12 hours of the night.
Cup of Life: An ancient relic that is used in a blood ritual.
Croucher Demon: An entrance demon.
Daedalus' Labyrinth on Crete: An elaborate structure that houses Minotarus the Minotaur that is half man, half bull that no prisoner can escape from. Those sent to Daedalus never return…
Daemonia Realm: A forbidden realm to all higher Angels. A place where demons go to get away from persecution.
Deva: An endearment. It means love or loved one.
Elder Angels: Earth bound Angels that act as liaisons between the realms. Their powers are believed to be limitless. But as a checks and balance, they are only allowed to mate with humans, which have diluted their bloodlines over the centuries. There are light and dark Elder Angels.
Elder Wine: An immortal drink mixed with Angel's Blood
Ferals/Blue Bloods: A breed of immortals enslaved by the Gods for their ambrosial blood. They were sometimes called Blue Bloods, as their blood is blue. Their blood contains healing qualities and induces the drinker into a euphoric state. They were believed to be extinct.
Fire Worms: Little worm like bugs with razor sharp teeth that secrete neurotoxin that causes complete paralysis.
Forbidden Ruins: A city that rests on the outer edges of hell. Its inhabitants are mostly slaves, and are forced into labor or sold to demons.
Hall of Souls: A place where souls that can never be reborn go. Typically only the good souls go here. Whether it be by request or punishment.
Host: Usually a human who is able to host lost souls within. They tend to see immortals in their true form, as all immortals are compatible with hosts. The abilities of the housed can be transferred to the host, lending them their talents or attributes.
House Dead Crest: One of the three Royal Vampiri houses. Rumored to be from death demons
House Red Haven: One of the three Royal Vampiri Houses. Rumored to be from war demons
House Vayne: One of three Royal Vampiri Houses. Rumored to be from true blood demons
Leviratus: Son marries his brother's widow. He can take her as a the first mate or the second mate if the son is already married. She is also to produce offspring with the second son as quickly as possible so that the child may be claimed as the dead brother's offspring. A tradition of old.
Lotus-eaters: Female demons that entice their patrons in a seductive dance, weaving a web of forgetfulness. They enable the watcher to forget for a time.
Lycans: A shifter breed of werewolves. They are of lesser class than those directly descended from Lycaons.
Lycaons: A race of werewolves that are direct descendants of the Arcadia King son of Pelasgus and Melioboea. He tested Zeus by serving him a dish of his slaughtered son to see whether the God was truly omniscient. In return, he was turned in to a wolf.
Matria: The Matriarch of the Phoenix Enclave
Nesting: A phase of deep sleep that a female phoenix goes into before her death.
Para-Housed: Para-Housed is the being, or soul that is housed inside a host. Usually an immortal but can be a human ghost. The Para-Housed is commonly confused with a Walker, but the two are not the same. A Walker has a body, while the Para-Housed does not, making it thrive only when housed with a Host.
Phoenix: Mythical Immortals said to be descendants of Alexander the Great. There are five Houses now bonded as one. The females go through their nesting phase, then their death, and finally their rebirth.
Realm of Light: The sixth hour in the Books of Gates, guarded by the All Seeing Eye
Red Sun Organization: A radical organization of immortals who believe they should not bow to human society.
Regs/Regular: Vampires that are considered regular. They do not have fangs, and can only drink blood that is compatible to their own.
Sanctuary: A place for souls that are on the waiting list to be taken to hell. They can petition for their souls and ask for redemption, but at the discretion of the warden.
Sahidic: Ancient Text Angel of Unveiling asked them to retrieve.
Shadow Unit: A group of Immortals put together in a task force to police their kind. They are a covert group and only the highest-ranking officials of the world, know about their existence.
Siren: A serpent like creature usually female, looks beautiful but really a scaly serpent like creature. Able to lure with their voice or repel.
Sixth Hour: The Gate is named Throne of our Lord, or The Realm of Light and houses the realm of Asa. It’s protected by the All Seeing Eye a serpent like Goddess and her 12 mummiform Gods.
Sharma: A priestess from House Phoenix
Slave Law: A law for Regs to live in servitude to a royal house before they can become part of the family through a Blood Vow.
Tasting: A bacchanalia of sorts for Ferals to come together to find their mates.
The Agency: A secret organization that keeps tabs on The Shadow Unit.
VAB: Vampire Blood AB it’s a drug sold to humans and other immortals looking for a high. It’s illegal to sell and punishable by death in some Houses.
Vampiri: Royal members of one of the three Vampire houses infected with a demon strain of blood. They have fangs, and can drink from any blood source without an adverse reaction.
Walker: A race of warriors that can walk among the living or the dead. They have the ability to temporarily walk into anoth
er body or life-form in order to heal, take pain away, or to hide. A Walker must return to its body within 24 hours or risk dying. Only the Primori Walker can be without his body for days at a time.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It’s our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”
A Return to Love Marianne Williamson
The Countdown Begins
Gabe pulled his fingers through his hair for what seemed like the millionth time. There was no other way to get around this situation. He could run, but what would that get him? It’d get him locked up for all eternity, or a true death that’s what. Not acceptable. He should have requested more time on this plane. Demanded he at least tie up loose ends. But his demands would not gain the attention of the audience he would need in order to pull off such a request.
He hadn’t interfered. Hell, he rarely gave his opinions anymore. He’d learned that lesson the hard way. He may have cracked a few jokes here and there, but never with cruelty. He didn’t even blanch at the idea of calling the search off for Stone. Even when the other male had been declared dead, and everyone had thrown in the towel. He’d offered no words of comfort or advice. Not even for Jesminda, who was devastated and refused to believe her mate was gone. He’d said nothing to console her. She believed her mate was out there, somewhere lost and badly injured. Any immortal still licking their wounds after all this time were better off dead. Stop making excuses, you know what’s really happening. He knew it and it wouldn’t change a damn thing.
The computer screens flickered to life, breaking Gabe out of his thoughts. The bio signatures were complete. Everyone on the team was in the system. Jes and the Phoenix, Bells included. The system surrounding the buildings perimeter would detect any outsider. Coupled with the ward the local coven had set, it would provide information alerting them of any dangers. The glow from the monitors lit up his workstation and the darkness beyond. He kept himself busy most days, gathering intel, people watching on the monitors and even the occasional porn kept him company. A man had to keep up on his skills, right? Maybe today would be a good day for a stroll. Stroll? People didn’t say stroll anymore, they said things like, “let’s roll’ or “kick rocks.” He only had a little over a month left in this realm. How would his teammates feel when he revealed his true self? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Hopefully they would see it that way.
There was a time when he only saw black and white, right and wrong. There was a time when he’d have sung the song of justice and delivered it just as quickly. Pansy ass. Could he even call himself that? Sure, he hadn’t been honest with himself or the team. Soon they would be on opposite sides of this war, him up there, and them here on Earth’s plane. They’d be trying to survive and he’d be escorting the bodies of the dead, left and right. On top of that, a man he’d come to respect and like would never look at him the same again.
Gabe heard him first before he saw his visitor. He was in the corner of his office. The shadows seemed to shrink away revealing a being with grayish-silver metallic skin and eyes blacker than the abyss he came from, Greyson.
“You over think things.” The Seraph said as he stepped past the shadows into the light. He was an Angel of War, but not just any Seraph, he and his brothers were the Elite’s Warrior Angels. Slaves to the bands wrapped tightly around their neck. Only their mates could free them, and the Nubi were extinct. So much for their happily-ever-after.
“You’re dramatic.” Gabe shot back.
“I’ve come to issue a warning.”
Always with the warnings, as if he hadn’t had enough during his two hundred year sentence.
“What warning?”
“Don’t interfere in this upcoming battle.”
Direct, but still elusive. He knew something was brewing, everyone did. They just didn’t know what. Too many things were happening all at once, the emergence of both the Red Hand Organization, and Eremiel was not a coincidence. Something bad was coming, and it was going to tear everyone’s world upside down.
Greyson, almost seven feet tall, blocked what little light the screens threw off in the office. His shoulders were wide enough to cast their own shadows. Shoulder length charcoal hair that sometimes looked silver at night settled in what women called silky waves around his head. It was the collar that drew your attention though. A metal not found of this world, with the power to make the wearer bow to your commands. Greyson and his brothers had managed to kill the original owner, but not before learning that the slave collar came with a curse. Only their mates could remove it, and their mates were a race of warrior women called the Nubi, killed by the mother of all demons, Lilith.
Females still fell at Grey’s feet, and who was he to offer warning? It was their funeral. Gabe on the other hand wasn’t afforded the luxury of a woman’s touch. Most of his time was spent in the computer room, operating the controls, making sure security was tight. There wasn’t time for frolicking. Frolicking? Damn his age was showing.
“Do I ever interfere?” Gabe said as an afterthought.
Greyson eyed him skeptically, his frown evident around the corners of his mouth. He knew the angel wondered if he really was expected to answer Gabe’s question.
“You are not to interfere.” The seraph repeated crossing his arms over his chest. He was standing at his full height, the top of his head almost touching the ceiling and for a moment Gabe envied him. He’d volunteered for Earth duty as a way of getting out of spending what equated to a millennium in hell. A small price to pay for the crime he committed. That was until he sought out Dravaggio. Now, he was soaked in his sin on a daily basis, confronted with the truth of his crime at every turn. A huge part of him missed his true nature. He was meant to be free of pain and free from emotions, but as the years went on, he’d grown accustomed to this form. To things his current body needed, longed for. The basic hungers of any man. Sleep, food, and sex. He’d been waking up with the hard on from hell, six weeks running. It wasn’t for anyone in particular, just something his body craved. He craved the taste of a woman’s kiss. To be able to sink into her flesh, enjoy her warmth while his tongue explored all her supple features. Gabe’s body went taught with lust, and Greyson huffed in exasperation.
“I never want to feel as you feel right now Gabriel.”
Yeah, well the Seraph had the curse going for him to prevent that.
“Your point?”
“Emotions are for the weak. They hinder the bearer their lucidity.”
He was entitled to his opinion, but Gabe new that the Warrior Angels had outlets.
“What about the Pleasure Angels?”
“They are used for the edge that builds up due to battle. I don’t coddle those females, and unlike my brothers, I don’t visit the same one twice.”
Greyson turned his head from left to right, cracking his neck and looking at his surroundings. He returned his black gaze to Gabe. It was said that his eyes hadn’t always been black, but a shade of purple even deeper than Dravaggio’s. Compliments of his mother who was a Valkyria. A female of Nordic descent who decided the fate of Vikings on the battlefield. Greyson’s father had captured and kept her for hundreds of years until she bore him a son. Grey, the product of their union had his father’s looks, but his mother’s black heart. He had four other brothers who all had different mothers and all of them were mean bastards just like the one who stood before him now. Passing judgment, doing what they were called to do. His would-be jailers, if he stepped over the line.
“Regardless, you still make use of your body’s needs.”
“You should have joined us when you had the chance, Death Bringer.”
“Wrong Angel, that’s Azrael’s job.”
His brother Azrael was death in all its true forms. He was the youngest of Gabe’s siblings and was truly death incarnate.
“For now.”
Yeah, Azrael was up there bringing in the souls, and not i
n the cleanest of ways either. Nevertheless, the fates had done nothing to stop him. Gabe on the other hand was punished the first time he’d ever stepped out of line. Each of his brother’s played a different part in death’s plan. Gabe meted out the punishment and most often than not, was responsible for some of the most heinous of wars. Michael escorted lost souls, guiding them towards the light. Abaddon dealt with the suicides and attempted suicides, making deals or breaking them. Then there was their brother Azrael, more demon than angel. He dealt with the blackest, most vile of souls escorting them to the gates of hell.
“I am not here to go over the semantics of who does what. I’ll be back in four weeks. Don’t make me chase you Gabriel, Harbinger of Death.”
Greyson stepped closer and looked down at Gabe.
“Four weeks.”
He understood. In four weeks he’d be relinquishing his post, leaving the Shadow Unit, and ascending back to the Black Veil. He’d return to his true self. He’d be a collector of souls. Business as always was booming.
Chapter 1
Xee hated crowds, but she was a sucker for coffee cake. Braving the crowded sidewalk for a chance at the cinnamon swirl confectionery delight had her hurrying through the throng of bodies. The coffee shop was located ten blocks away from her ratty-assed apartment. Micah was silent for most of their journey. Usually all he did was talk, well, it was more whining and complaining, but Xee was grateful for a chance to relax and listen to her iPod. As she crossed a busy intersection people moved out of her way, some even made sure she knew they were moving because of her. She knew what she looked like to them. Trouble. What you see is what you get, bitches. They gawked at her pink Mohawk and tattoos. Of course, her overall attitude exuded hostility. She liked it that way.
